Foodtown

Foodtown is a northeastern United States supermarket cooperative that was founded in 1955 by Twin County Grocers. The company's first president was Joseph Azzolina, and the cooperative grew to have 73 stores in New York, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. During the 1980s and 1990s, Foodtown was a major grocer on Long Island and in New Jersey. In 1994, the cooperative had 165 stores. However, in 1995, Ahold purchased 45 of its stores and converted them into Stop & Shop stores. The cooperative took a severe financial hit from these losses, and embezzlement of money from the cooperative by members of Twin County's corporate hierarchy almost destroyed Foodtown. In 1998, Twin County Grocers declared bankruptcy, and many Foodtown stores converted to other banners or simply closed. In 2004, Foodtown closed its supply warehouse. In 2012, Foodtown was the largest founding member of Allegiance Retail Services.